Peele To Produce “Candyman” Reimagining

MGM is set to partner with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions on a re-imagining of the 1992 horror classic “Candyman” which was adapted from Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden”.

Nia DaCosta (“Little Woods”) will direct from a screenplay by Peele and Rosenfeld with the project dubbed a ‘spiritual sequel’ to the original. The action returns to the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood.

Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen starred in the original film about a graduate student completing a thesis on urban legends who encounters the legend of “Candyman” (Todd), an artist and son of a slave who was brutally murdered. With a hook for a hand and an ability to control bees, he returns whenever his name is said five times in a mirror and kills the person who utters it.

Peele says in a statement: “The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre. Alongside Night of the Living Dead, Candyman was a major inspiration for me as a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting. We are honored to bring the next chapter in the Candyman canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker’s legend.”

Win Rosenfeld will produce the project which begins production in the Spring ahead of a June 12th 2020 release through Universal Pictures.